Chemistry
As a chemistry graduate, you will be equipped with a diverse range of scientific, analytical, computational, and problem-solving skills which are highly valued by employers. These capabilities open a wide variety of career options to you such research and development, quality control, and environmental science to pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and forensics. In addition to ‘science-based’ careers, your degree also lays the foundation to a number of non-scientific careers in finance, education, technical writing, and regulatory affairs.
What skills will I gain during my degree?
The skills you will gain include the following:
- Scientific enquiry and curiosity
- Scientific literacy and specific laboratory skills
- Critical assessment of information
- Scientific and professional communication
- The ability to plan and conduct scientific experiments
- Strong attention to procedures and health and safety considerations
- Computational modelling abilities
- An awareness of sustainability, environmental and ethical issues
In addition to your subject specific knowledge, you will also gain a range of transferable skills including:
- Analysis and problem-solving
- Time management and organisation
- Written and oral communication
- Monitoring/maintaining records and data
- Team work
- Research and presentation
- IT and technology
How can I develop my skills and experience during my degree?
Due to the wide range of potential career options and sectors open to you as a chemistry student, it is important to start to consider your options early on in your course. Look for opportunities to gain relevant experience and skills within your areas of interest whether this is in a scientific or in a non-scientific sector.
Build skill and knowledge through the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
By taking out student membership of the RSC (currently free if studying at a UK university) you can build knowledge through webinars and articles and engage in activities such as Special Interest Groups. You can also record your skills in an Undergraduate Skills Record.
The Royal Society of Chemistry also offers a variety of online video resources on their RSC YouTube channel, including recordings of career webinar, podcasts, industry insights videos and more.
Consider a Year in Industry
If you want to work in the scientific sector, it is worth thinking about doing a year in industry if you are not already registered on this course. Talk to your tutor during your first or second year if you would be interested in transferring to the year in industry option.
As part of this, it is possible to gain accreditation from the Science Council as a Registered Scientist (RSci)
Gain work experience
Summer internships are also a great way to gain experience, whether in science or non-science based roles.
The Nottingham Internships Scheme, for example, offers a range of local paid internships with companies in Nottingham, and other sources of vacancies are listed on our work experience pages.
Find out more about work experience opportunities
Look into summer research placements
Summer research placements through the School of Chemistry, as well as other sponsored opportunities and funding for summer research placements through the following organisations:
Royal Society of Chemistry
Institute of Cancer Research
Explore what's on offer through the Students' Union
Get involved in activities including volunteering and societies such as ChemSoc and the STEM Outreach Society.
Students' Union
Join the Nottingham Advantage Award
Through the completion of extracurricular modules, the Nottingham Advantage Award helps you develop key life and work-based skills and reflect on your experiences, allowing you to demonstrate your achievements and skills more effectively when applying for jobs.
Nottingham Advantage Award
Apply for part-time jobs through us
We advertise part-time, casual and temporary jobs on campus and with local businesses. Created just for you, the advertised vacancies can fit around your studies and other commitments.
The vacancies are advertised in two places.
On-campus jobs
Off-campus jobs
What are the range of careers I can enter?
According to the Prospects Luminate ‘what do graduates do?’ 2023/24 report the most popular occupation for chemistry graduates 15 months after graduation is chemical scientists' role followed by laboratory technicians and secondary education teaching professionals. However, chemistry students are seen in roles across many business sectors including scientific roles, business, IT, finance, legal, engineering, and education.
Science careers
Chemistry graduates have the scientific and laboratory skills which are directly required for scientific research, analysis and technician level roles in a range of chemistry-related sectors such as:
- pharmaceuticals
- chemicals
- oil and gas
- food and drink,
- materials
- energy
These roles could involve research and development, analysis, testing and quality assurance of new and existing chemical-based products and materials, as well as computational modelling, data analysis and other IT or technical support for research and development.
Chemistry graduates can also use their science knowledge outside the lab in areas such as teaching, science communication and writing and patent law.
Science beyond the Lab
On a more general level, the transferable skills of chemistry students including analytical problem solving, IT, numerical and communication skills, can be well applied to a range of graduate roles in sectors such as:
- business and finance
- marketing
- engineering
- technology
- environment
There are also opportunities for enterprise and self-employment, particularly where new scientific techniques, devices, compounds or materials have been discovered and developed. A number of ‘spin-out’ companies have been established as a direct result of university research.
Destinations of Nottingham graduates
Roles entered:
- Analytical Chemist
- Assistant Commercial Manager
- Chartered Accountant
- Chemical Analyst
- Chemical Modeller
- Data Analyst
- Development Scientist
- Formulation Technologist
- Graduate Scientist
- Graduate Software Programmer
- IT Technician
- Lab Technician
- Marketing Graduate Trainee
- Research and Development Associate
- Tax Adviser
- Technology Analyst
Companies:
- Airedale Chemical Ltd
- Bank of America
- Boots
- Cambridge Environmental Agency
- Cortex World
- Critical Pharmaceuticals
- Croda
- Dorset Software
- EY
- GSK
- Intertek
- Johnson Matthey
- Midland HR
- Network Rail
- PwC
- RB (Reckitt Benckiser)
- Tenmat
What do graduates from my course go on to do?
Graduate Outcomes is a national survey capturing the activities and perspectives of graduates launched in 2018 and is the biggest annual social survey in the UK.
You can view the destinations of graduates, who completed the survey, from your course by booking an appointment with an adviser. This can help you to explore your options if you are unsure what you want to do.
Find out more about the Graduate Outcomes survey
What are my further study options?
Nationally, many chemistry graduates progress onto further study and build on their study through a master's, teacher training or PhD. Many chemistry graduates who choose to undertake further study choose a PhD and often progress into scientific and academic research careers.
PhDs
Around a third of Nottingham chemistry graduates progress onto further study. For scientific research careers, a PhD is often a minimum requirement, or at the very least a significant advantage.
PhDs were undertaken in areas such as:
- Chemistry
- Industrial Chemistry
- Sustainable Chemistry
- Carbon Capture Storage
- Biological Chemistry
- Nuclear Fusion
Webinar: Thinking about a PhD? How to get started and how to apply
In these two videos, Dr Judith Wayte from the University of Nottingham provides clear and wide-ranging advice on:
- how to get started: what to take into account, and how to gather relevant information
- on the application process and how to prepare for interviews
Login to SharePoint to watch the webinar
- Alumni: Email us to gain access to the webinar
Teacher training
A number of chemistry graduates undertook a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in science or chemistry to train as a teacher - a profession for which science students are currently in high demand.
Teacher training
Further study options and funding